Indore, Jan 18 (.) Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh returned to India’s playing XI as captain Shubman Gill opted to bowl first after winning the toss in the series-deciding ODI against New Zealand here on Sunday.
Gill said the decision was taken after assessing both conditions and recent match situations. “We will bowl first. That’s what we spoke about. Batting first, New Zealand put us under pressure,” he said.
He added that the surface appeared good for batting and conditions were unlikely to change significantly as the match progressed. “One of the reasons we’re bowling first is that the surface looks good. We don’t expect a lot of dew and chasing could be better,” Gill explained.
The India skipper also emphasised the need for smarter execution with the ball, particularly during the middle overs. “We need to vary our lengths in the middle overs, that’s what we want to do,” he said, confirming that Arshdeep Singh replaced Prasidh Krishna as the only change from the previous match.
New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell said his side would have preferred to bowl first as well but was comfortable batting on what looked like a good wicket. “We would have bowled first, but it looks like a good batting pitch,” Bracewell said, describing the match as a significant moment for his team.
“It’s a decider and an exciting opportunity for us to win our first ODI series here in India,” he said. Bracewell also spoke about the newer faces in the squad, saying they were adapting well to the international stage. “They’re getting used to international cricket and have made a good fist of it so far. The pressure is on now and it’s a good chance for them to play their best game,” he added.
Bracewell confirmed that New Zealand were going in unchanged from the previous game as both teams looked to seal the series in the final encounter.
Teams:
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (w), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Kristian Clarke, Jayden Lennox.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
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